The guards were dragging a boy through the night.
With one on each side holding him by the hands and walking to a dark forest.
After 10 minutes the houses were barely visible, and the rain was covering their hurried steps.
With a thud they dropped the boy on the ground, and one of them pulled out a sword.
The boy on the ground looked no older than 18 and had his face and body stained with blood.
His eyes are barely open, looking at the blade.
With a sigh, he looked at the sky and muttered,
"What a useless family, killing their own son…"
The guards didn't hear him and were ready to pierce his throat with the sword.
What they didn't expect was that a shadow burst from the boy, and with a swift motion, beheaded both of them.
With a heavy splash, they fell on the ground motionless.
Mo Li kept lying on the ground and thinking about his life.
In the past he was accused of murdering a woman and ended up burning at the stake.
Thinking that was his end, he closed his eyes and prepared for eternal slumber.
What surprised him was that he ended up being born again, in a different family, on a different world.
This world had cultivation and martial artists that could wield magic and shatter mountains.
Thinking that this was his opportunity to enjoy life, he decided to enter a sect and try and become something.
What he didn't expect was that his brother framed a crime on his head just before he was to head to the sect.
This caused his father to order the guards to drag him to the forest and execute him.
Thinking of this, he sat up and swiped away the water on his face.
He then went to the guards and took what valuables they had on them and one sword, and he began walking through the forest.
His family was a mortal one that did not have any cultivators; only his father knew a bit of martial arts and could overpower 10 strong men.
Mo Li also knew some martial arts but didn't study too deeply because his father focused on educating him about business and the world.
His greatest strength wasn't martial arts, however.
It was his special ability.
Shadow Clone could create a clone that was completely black and had the same strength as him.
To control it was as easy as using an arm or leg, and the wondrous ability was that he could control 20 shadows at the same time.
This was his limit.
Creating a shadow could only occur once a day, and they could either exist outside or be stored inside his soul.
With this ability he was confident he could reach the sect without his family's help.
While thinking this, he waved his hand while walking, and five shadows spread out around him.
They climbed trees or walked a certain distance from him.
While using five shadows was not a problem, a wondrous ability was that he could share the five senses with them, allowing monitoring and recon.
1 day passed, and Mo Li sat next to a campfire.
While eating a bunny, he thought about the map.
He calculated that if he walked for 20 more days, he would reach the sect and be able to join as an outer disciple.
His town wasn't that close to the sect, but the time was estimated by the fact that Mo Li had a physique superior to normal people and could walk faster and for a lot longer.
10 days passed, and while walking on a forest path, he was met with 10 thieves.
Each one had swords, and they demanded all his belongings.
While lifting his hands, 20 shadows flew from his body and went for the thieves.
Their expression sank as each one was entangled with 2 shadows.
Even without a weapon, one couldn't underestimate the shadows.
One punch to the liver or a finger to the eye could completely incapacitate anyone.
After 10 minutes all the thieves were immobilized, and Mo Li went by each one and cut off their heads.
After collecting their money and burying their swords somewhere, he continued walking.
10 days passed, and he finally arrived at the sect.
Talking with the disciples at the gates, Mo Li had his aptitude checked, and after seeing that he was able to cultivate, they took him to the outer sect to register and have his house assigned.
After the procedure was done, he saw his residence.
A wooden house of about 10 square meters.
The quality was lower than his father's mansion, but he couldn't be bothered to care.
After his father ordered the guards to execute him without even questioning him, it was already clear what relation they would have from now on.
Mo Li went into the house and began studying the cultivation manual.
2 hours passed, and he began practicing the breathing method.
It took one day to sense the qi and 1 month to enter the first realm of qi refining.
This speed was considered mediocre.
Looking at the situation made Mo Li raise his eyebrows as he popped a nutrition pill and resumed his cultivation.
It took him another month to reach the second realm and another month to get to the third realm.
While exhaling, he stood up and began walking through the outer section.
He knew that getting to the fourth realm would take more than 2 months, so he wanted to take a walk and clear his mind a bit.
The cultivation helped him eliminate the need for sleep and food so he could now focus fully on accumulating qi.
While walking, he saw numerous shops.
Pill shops, weapon shops, and even talisman shops.
The prices were all in spirit stones, so he couldn't be bothered to enter since he did not have anything to buy with.